Monday, April 25, 2016

It's all about the leg..gings: Charlotte Leggings from Laela Jeyne

Nini would live in leggings if I let her, and given these leggings, I don't know why I don't. She's at a strange point in growing where she is very long and not very big around so she was hopping around happy as a bee in a flower bed when she put these on! Marisa, from Laela Jeyne, just re-released her free leggings pattern in a bigger size range (happiness for me since Nini is almost at the tippy top of most girls' patterns).

Let's get some quick details out there:

- Size ranges from 6M-14. HUGE size range.

- Elastic waist that is sewn on vs enclosed in a casing

- Extremely fast construction...these ones took tops 30 minutes

- Tiled pages for very fast pattern construction

- Layered sizing so you only print what you need

- Very clear and concise instructions with illustrations and pictures

- FREE if you are a member of the Laela Jeyne Pattern Fan Group

Now, this pattern was previously available up to size 6 so now that they go up to 14, we'll be able to get a lot of mileage from these. My daughter picked out some black and white daisy knit (from Purple Seamstress) for this pair so that she could wear them with her school uniform. Any leggings and tights have to be in the school colors so these are perfect for chilly mornings.

The fit on these was perfect for my girl. She has some pretty long legs but she's skinny as a rail so I was able to make these and tailor them to her size. I can't wash these fast enough for her. As soon as I take them out of the dryer she hangs them on her bed for the next school day...

This fabric has been sitting in my hoard collection for a while now, and they were the perfect stretch for this pattern. You'll want a 2 or 4 way stretch with at least 40% stretch. They're pretty close fitting so you'll want to make sure you have the stretch to get them on and off without looking like a taffy pull. The elastic on these is serged onto the waist and then folded over which, in my opinion, gives the final product a much cleaner finish. She's very particular about seams and "scratchy" thread so these were really nice since I didn't gave any parts of the fabric that were bunchy at the waist.

I really loved the overall fit and look of these leggings. There wasn't any excess at the bottom or any random folds along the legs so she was able to jump around and play with bubba with no issues! I used my serger for these, but you can also sew them using a stretch stitch or zigzag stitch on a standard sewing machine.

And the best news of all for you is that they are completely free if you are in the Laela Jeyne Patterns Fan Group. If you aren't a member, you can be. Just follow the link to the group, join, and check the pinned post for your coupon code. Marisa is also in the process of designing a deluxe pack that you can buy after testing has been completed! Some ideas she's throwing around are capris, shorts, joggers, ruffle cuffs, and yoga waistband. In the meantime, head over to the group, join if you aren't already a member, and get your coupon code to get a copy of this pattern for free! The group is also a great place to get sewing help from other LJ fans and keep up to date on Marisa's happenings!